We depart Viking Buri at 12.15 pm after spending the morning say goodbye to new friends. It has been a memorable river cruise.

Many people have departed at far earlier times due to the need to make connections with US Flights from Paris and other European cities.

Our taxi arrives at 12.10 pm, we have a 25 minute taxi trip to the Lyon TGV station, which upon arrival looks like a major construction site and unbeknown to us there is little or any seating, together with hundreds of people swirling around awaiting announcement of the scheduled train departures.

There is no early announcements as to platform details until approximately 15 minutes prior to actual departure time.

We access the platform via a lift, thinking that this will give us easy access to our first class carriage in the middle of the train. That was a miscalculation , because as the TGV Inoui arrives there is a concerted push by people arriving on the platform. This is a 16 carriage train, there are hundreds arriving to travel.

The train arrives and as we attempt to enter our carriage it is a pushing and shoving issue. We find our seats ( Seats 25 and 26) with ease but the storage of our luggage is another issue. We eventually find room to store our 2 large cases and one small case in the far end of the seats , but away from the doors and exit. That created further challenges upon our arrival in Paris.

The weather has changed dramatically with a cold storm system moving through Lyon and heading North, so we have a train journey with a packed train with heavy rainfall and an electrical storm.

We have enjoyed our visit to Lyon, smile at its gastronomic reputation that we can endorse.

Our arrival in Paris after a comfortable trip, is relatively easy. We receive a text from our Blacklane driver advising us to meet him in 15 minutes outside the entrance to the Platform. He arrives exactly on time and has somehow managed to park his car (Mercedes E 64) just outside an entrance. We have used the station Gare de Lyon in Paris on several prior visits, but you still are amazed at the moving mass of humanity from and to platforms as 16 carriage trains arrive and depart, lodging massive numbers of people all scurrying to depart the station.

The driver advises there are issues departing Gare De Lyon and then skirts around the neighbourhood beside the river Seine, it is an enjoyable tour through some of the Paris suburbs and pass by major icons.

Our arrival at Villa Haussman is punctual and we have a prompt checkin, a room on a higher floor with a separate shower and wonderful view back over Haussman Boulevarde and its wonderful architecture. We are too tired to eat out and 15 minutes following our arrival we experience a noisy thunder storm and heavy rainfall.

Later Ken walks to find some snacks and soft drink. We are looking forward to again seeing some of Paris tomorrow.